10th-Pass Watches Videos, Reads And Becomes 'Counterfeiting Expert'. Arrested

In an operation straight out of a crime thriller, police in Bhopal have busted what appears to be a full-fledged fake-currency factory being operated from a house by a 21-year-old man who trained himself by watching YouTube videos. 

Vivek Yadav has been arrested after police uncovered high-end machines, imported materials, and several counterfeit Rs 500 notes. 

Officials said Vivek, who has studied up to Class 10, had turned himself into a "currency-printing expert" after watching YouTube videos and researching counterfeiting techniques online, as well as by reading books.

On Friday, police received information that a man was attempting to circulate fake Rs 500 notes near a public school. A joint team from the Crime Branch and the Piplani police station tracked the suspect and caught him red-handed. Fake notes were recovered from his pocket.

But the real shock came when officers raided his home. Inside Vivek's room, police discovered high-end colour laser printers, precision scanners, imported glossy paper and special ink, cutting blades, design software and semi-finished stacks of counterfeit notes

Vivek had already produced 23 fake Rs 500 notes and had raw material ready to print hundreds more. 

"The accused began by scanning a genuine note. Using that as a base for his design, he digitally corrected watermarks, shadows, security-thread zones, and borders. He then printed the design on special paper to mimic the texture of real currency notes," said an official. 

During interrogation, Vivek admitted he had been studying counterfeiting methods. He sourced ink, paper, and other materials from online portals and local markets. All of his equipment has been seized. 

This is the third major counterfeit currency bust in Madhya Pradesh in two months.

In Khandwa, police recovered fake Rs 500 notes with a face value of nearly Rs 20 lakh from a madrassa room in Paithiya village. Two people were arrested. 

At the MIT intersection in Dautkhedi, the Mandsaur police seized 76 fake notes with a face value of Rs 38,000 during a raid and arrested three men.